Hun Sen Fears the Virus
«ជំងឺរបស់ពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជា មិនមែនជំងឺបង្កឡើងដោយមេរោគ «កូរ៉ូណា» នោះទេ គឺជំងឺភ័យខ្លាច ហើយមកដល់ពេលនេះមិនទាន់ពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាណាម្នាក់កើតជំងឺនេះទេ។ »
ហ្វេសប៊ុក នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃទី ៥ ខែកុម្ភៈ ឆ្នាំ២០២០
«សម្តេចមិនពាក់ម៉ាស់ទេ បើពាក់ម៉ាស់មិនបាច់មកទស្សនកិច្ចនៅប្រទេសចិនទេ។ សម្តេចតេជោ បានគូសបញ្ជាក់ទៀតថា ទោះបីមិត្តចិនបានត្រៀមម៉ាស់សម្រាប់សម្តេចក៏ដោយ ក៏សម្តេចមិនពាក់ដែរ។»
ហ្វេសប៊ុក នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃទី ៥ ខែកុម្ភៈ ឆ្នាំ២០២០
“We are stationed there from early morning to the last flights, in shifts but there are inadequate screening devices in the airports. I am saying this for all three airports, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville international airports…. As a result of a lack of these equipment and lack of coordination between airport security airport officials and the health officials, many passengers just head on to the visa or immigration counters without being screened or their particulars recorded… We are first line of defence against the coronavirus and yet we are poorly equipped to execute or [sic] jobs.”
Anonymous senior Ministry of Health officials, 31 January 2020, Khmer Times
«ចំពោះការលើកឡើងពីវីរុសកូរ៉ូណាថ្មីមិនអាចរស់នៅក្នុងសីតុណ្ហភាពក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជាបាន គឺដោយសារវីរុសនោះត្រូវស្ថិតនៅកណ្ដាលវាលហើយត្រូវរងនូវកម្ដៅថ្ងៃយូរ។»
រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួងសុខាភិបាល ម៉ម ប៊ុនហេង ថ្ងៃទី៣០ ខែ មករា ឆ្នាំ២០២០
«ហ៊ុនសែនហ៊ានចូលប្រយុទ្ធក្នុងភ្លើងសង្គ្រាម ហ៊ានយកក្បាលធ្វើដើមទុន ដើម្បីសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ហ៊ានយកជីវិតធ្វើដើមទុន ដើម្បីបញ្ចប់សង្គ្រាម។ រឿងអី ហ៊ុនសែនមិនហ៊ានទៅក្រុងវូហាន ដើម្បីសួរសុខទុក្ខនិស្សិតខ្មែរ ដែលកំពុងរៀនក្នុងទីក្រុងវូហាន កុំចង់សាកជាមួយហ៊ុនសែនឲ្យសោះ បើស្គាល់ហ៊ុនសែនមិនច្បាស់។»
នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃទី ៤ ខែកុម្ភៈ ឆ្នាំ២០២០ ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍
Hun Sen has tried hard to impress his host President Xi Jingping in Beijing that he is a brave soul. He tells Xi the Cambodian people are ill; their illness is not caused by the coronavirus, but by fear, and none of them is infected. He says he dares shake hand with Premier Li Keqiang who has recently returned from virus-infested Wuhan. He brags he refuses a mask offered to him, claiming there would be no point of coming to Beijing if he wore one.
Xi may hold his breath in awe, or he may not. He may think how pompous Hun Sen is for exposing his dirty linen to impress foreigners. Xi might wonder what Hun Sen expects of his people when he has used threats and intimidation to instil fear in them.
Still, the public fear stems from their lack of confidence on Hun Sen’s healthcare system many prefer to stay away; Hun Sen himself favours overseas even for routine health check-ups. Anonymous health officials say they are ill-equipped to carry out their detection tasks in the current coronavirus outbreak. The health minister claims the virus cannot survive in hot climate like Cambodia; yet, it has spread to other hot spots, like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. Among 3,078 Chinese nationals who arrived in Cambodia from Wuhan between the outbreak and the city lockdown, only one infection has been discovered. This could be either a miracle, or a sloppy detection work, or a cover-up.
The health officials, who speak out, prefer anonymity because they fear retribution. Hun Sen has implemented media campaigns against what he calls fake news, which allows him to censure all publications. There is now a question whether China has covered up the real extent of the infection.
Anyhow, Hun Sen is fearful, despite boasting otherwise. He asks, how can he, who fights the Khmer Rouge, succumb to the virus? He must know, against the Khmer Rouge, he has some 100,000 Vietnamese troops marching in front of him. He declares victory over the Khmer Rouge only after Vietnam has already flattened them.
Hun Sen must know the risk. Unlike the evident Khmer Rouge troops, the coronavirus is invisible, even to a multitude of Chinese doctors and scientists. He may refuse the mask in Bejing, which is some 1,000 km away from Wuhan, but he accepts the Chinese refusal to let him go there. He and Xi know there is a fine line between being brave and foolish. Xi is too smart not to realise he can make use of a foolish Hun Sen, but not of a brave dead one.
Amazingly, Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy are alike. The former says he would go to Wuhan if his immutable friend China let him. The latter says he would return to Cambodia if his nemesis Hun Sen allowed him. In both cases, the apparent brave souls are stopped. It seems likely the men are secretly thankful that someone cares enough to prevent them from doing self-harm.
Ung Bun Ang
10ii20
Funny News You Can Use
The statement by the Chinese ambassador is profound, indeed. Hun Sen certainly buys into toughness of the Cambodia-China grass. In fact, he will commit Cambodia into anything that gives him cash to keep propping up power and wealth of the family and the CPP elite. The rhetoric that the grass can withstand any strong wind is quite alluring and assuring that the easy cash will keep on coming his way.
The Cambodia-China grass may be formidable with any strong wind, but it does not take much to pull it from the ground with roots and all. This is one of the main options associated with the grass that Beijing has often taken up in the past 60 years, which hangs Cambodian people out to dry. This ironclad friend of Cambodia threw Prince Sihanouk under the bus in the 60’s, picked him up again in the 70’s to fight with the Khmer Rouge against Lon Nol, and then left Pol Pot in the lurch when he most needs the friend.
Question: When will China ditch Hun Sen and leave Cambodian people in tears, again? Answer: When the ambassador would stop smoking the grass that causes this true friend grass delirium.
“Only when the wind is strong, do we know the strength of the grass. Only during difficult times, do we know our true friends.”
Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian, 3 February 2020, The Phnom Penh Post
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